Workshop Handouts & Content

Below you will find a variety of handouts and content shared at past workshops. These documents will change from time-to-time so be sure to download them to your own computer for future reference. Have FUN out there!

Activity Websites

[Please let me know if any of the following links are broken. Thank you!!]

PLAYMEO is the largest online resource of experiential group games & activities in the world, used by teachers, corporate trainers, outdoor educators, and youth leaders (brought to you by Mark Collard). This is a fee-based site, nowwith hundreds of activities. Each activity includes: Step-by-Step Instructions, How to Play Narrative, Practical Leadership Tips, Popular Variations, Useful Framing Ideas, and Lesson Plans. Most of the activities include a video tutorial. You can choose from monthly, yearly, or lifetime plans.

The Thiagi Group This site has a variety of free resources for the adult/corporate trainer - Podcasts, Free Training Games, an Online Newsletter, and other "Free Resources." Most of the activities can be adapted for youth populations. LOTS HERE!!

Youthwork includes a wonderful variety of free "Successful Activities for Youth and Youthworkers" - be sure to explore the other links at this page including the "Other Activities Sites" link which takes you to over two-dozen more options to explore.

Conflict Resolution Focused Activities This free one-page gold mine includes five activity descriptions and 20 links to other pages & PDFs with loads of activities that help "mend conflicts and encourage positive behaviors among team members." Thanks to our friend Kenya for this great resource!!

Group-Games includes free "instructions to the world's best icebreakers and group games!" You'll find a home blog type format with some initial games and instruction links, as well as tabs (at the top of the page) that take you directly to specific game pages.

Online Stores - Books, Equipment, Supplies & more...

Future Factory If you can invest in some "serious" training tools, check out the offerings from Future Factory (out of the UK). They are the creators of "Colour Blind" (and now Colour Blind II) and much more. They tell me there is an easy price and shipping converter that helps us understand our total (let me know). AGAIN, we're talking "investment" here!

Informational Websites - Adventure Education Theory & Practice

Active Reviewing From Roger Greenaway - explore the why and how of experiential learning. Loads of useful information about reviewing (i.e., processing) with your groups.

Wood 'N' Barnes PublishingExperiential Education Blog, theoretical and activity excerpts and ideas from the line of experiential books available from Wood 'N' Barnes Publishing.

Essays, Documents & Articles

A Typology of Approaches to Facilitator Education This is a peer reviewed article by Glyn Thomas that appeared in the Journal of Experiential Education in 2004. "This paper reviews the literature on facilitation and provides a typology, which classifies the different approaches to facilitation education, based on the levels of consciousness proposed by Giddens' (1984)" [This document will only be up for a limited time in order to meet the educational needs of the workshop participants from ACCT 2014.]

Essay: Educators on the Challenge Course takes a look at three possible roles for challenge course practitioners - The Instructor, The Teacher, and the Facilitator. Situations, group objectives, and educational intent all help to determine the most appropriate role at any given time within a program. [Recently published in the Fall edition of Zip Lines produced by ACCT.]

Programming Tools

Decoding Sheet This is an open format worksheet used to "decode" activities after participating, reading, or viewing them (e.g., videos). I've used this tool for classes and trainings to help students and participants understand the different aspects of what goes into thinking about, programming, and leading an activity. Putting "pen to paper" (or thoughts through the keyboard), also serves as a reflective practice for the experience, and a fair assessment to check for understanding. (This file is in PDF format. Use it as a guide to create your own digital version, or copy this version and work with the static space provided.)

Activity Tools

Below you will find a variety of tools related to specific activities. Each tool includes directions on its use.

ICE BREAKER QUESTION CARDS There are 32 ready-made ice-breaker question cards in the PDF file below. I excerpted them from the BIG selection of questions at Jim Hough's website. I picked out the ones I thought were a bit more out of the ordinary.

HEALTH & FITNESS FINDINGS BINGO The PDF file below is a variation of the ice-breaker Human Bingo where participants fill out their bingo card (sheet) with signatures. Items on the card are related to health & fitness endeavors.